Drawn from the Collection: Part of the Fabric

Drawn from the Collection:
Part of the Fabric

Drawn from the Collection:
Part of the Fabric

October 7, 1998 - January 17, 1999

F or the visually hungry on culture’s
path, or, for that matter, those lost
in their own closets, it is difficult to
avoid textiles. Theirs is a persistent
capacity -to seduce us, to engage us in
mystery, to clothe our gender, to physically
and intimately touch us, to celebrate place
and time, to record history and entangle
us in the branches of family trees. Textiles
make exquisite the most simple functions
of daily life and make memorable the nec-
essarily grand occasion. We find ourselves
to be part of the weave of fabric, enmeshed
in fictional as well as tactile connections to
our real and imagined ancestors and to our
artisanal relatives, both recent and ancient.
Threads lead us on imagined voyages to
live in moments into which we were not
born. Awed by the qualities inherent in
these fabrics, we idealize their beauty, we
empathize with the effort of their creation,
and we suffer from our ignorance as to
the life of these textiles in their original
contexts.

Artists who use fiber as their medium have
offered up images to artists with paint on
their hands for millennia: images of human
beings, propositions about the natural world,
and an abstract formal language of potent
and unrelenting power. The rotating exhibi-
tions of Asian textiles in The RISD Museum’s
collection offer the opportunity to visit an
extraordinarily well stocked and organized
attic of collective memory. These textiles are
tickets to travel through time and space.
Through them we can meditate in a Zen
garden, embroider the afternoon away, accept
a dinner invitation from a high official,
examine a palace paradise, fly with a dragon.
The depths, the surfaces, the rhythms, the
stories, the colors, the iconography, the
implications as source and inspiration all
seem unlimited, overwhelming.

Ten artists were asked to look, to study, to
feel, to respond, to be part of the fabric. They
have individually selected works from The
RISD Museum’s Asian textile collection and
in dialogue with their choices have produced
their own artwork. Each artist’s selection and
the resulting creation are displayed together
in this exhibition. As a teaching method and
an adventure, I hope that this show encour-
ages every student and every viewer to see the
Asian textile collection, decorative arts, and
the Museum as an irresistible set of experi-
ences upon which to draw.

Holly Hughes

From all the artists , many thanks to
Pam Parmal, former Associate Curator
of Costume and Textiles. She has given
most generously of her time , advice,
and enthusiasm.

(ON THE COVER)

Holly Hughes

American, born 1951
(Assistant Professor,

Painting, risd)

QUARTET FOR THE
overripe, 1 998 (detail)
Gouache on stretched paper,

1: 13 3/4 x 10 3/4 in.; 2: 16 in.
diam.; 3: 20 x 15 3/4 in.;

4: 1 6 in. diam. Lent by the artist

JAPANESE, KIMONO (detail)
20th century. Silk; plain weave,
yuzen-dyed ; center back length
70 1/2 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs.
Meyer Saklad 78.124.2

I picked this particular
kimono because it was a riot
of imagery, a traffic jam, a
cacophony set against the
inevitable black void. I felt
its escapist intent. It
described place and mind-
set. I could go there effort-
lessly. More is more, and as
the forms accumulated, so
did color-zany, sentimental,
lurid, and all the while,
somehow sweet. Forms,
mutated from the plant
world and from cartoonlike
Buddhist iconography, col-
lapse together under the
force of gravity into piles of
almost indiscernible fan
shapes resting in an atmos-
phere of fading light and
romance. Local color and
the pulse of bulbous, rhyth-
mic forms are tangled in a
network of linear energy, all
charged with the innuendo
of narrative. Who could ask
for more than the “umbrella
of invisibility ? ”

Emily Cheng

American, born 1953
(risd bfa 1975, Painting)

3 IMPERIAL YELLOW, 1998

Acrylic on Iris Print, 36 x 29 in.
Lent by the artist

4 CHINESE, MAN'S COURT
ROBE (QIFU)

late 19th century. Silk and
gold-metallic thread; tapestry
trimmed with fur; center back
length 56 1/2 in. Gift of Lucy
Truman Aldrich 35.390

The RISD Museum owns a
variety of beautiful garments
and textiles from China.
Some are fragile with deli-
cate and muted designs, oth-
ers are bright, pretty, and
feminine. Still others are
bold with contrasting colors
of graphic interlocking
shapes, difficult to make out

at first glance. These are the
designs I was drawn to. The
bizarre images of large
moths intermingling with
floral designs in a round
format were played off
against their symbolic con-
tent. The compressed group
of images within a circle
seemed to function emblem-
atically on a subtle overall
pattern. I wanted to play
with the tension between
the breaking down and
building up of such an
emblem, finding, losing, and
perhaps finding again the
identity of the objects.

2

Donnamaria

Bruton

American, born 1954
(Assistant Professor,
Painting, risd)

1 FALLING LAMP, 1998

Mixed media, 30 x30 m.
Lent by the artist

2 PHILIPPINE, BLOUSE

19th century. Pineapple cloth;
plain weave with cotton
applique; center back length
15 1/2 in. Gift of Mrs. James
Comly McCoy 14.414

I transcend the human
experience when I view
something truly lovely. I
selected this Philippine
embroidered blouse because
of its ephemeral qualities.
The experience of looking
at an object and seeing
through it at the same time
appeals to what I under-
stand about life and eternity.

I was impressed with how
little it needed to physically
sustain itself: a delicate line
defining its pattern and a
transparent fabric to shape
its purpose.

4

Dennis Congdon

American, born 1953
(risd bfa 1975, Painting;
Professor, Painting, risd)

5 LITTLE REST, 1 998

Oil on canvas, 62 1/4 x 64 1/4 in.
Lent by the artist

6 JAPANESE, STENCIL (detail)
19th century. Mulberry paper
and persimmon tannin; hand
carved; 11 7/8 x 16 1/2. in. Gift
of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 07.020

7 JAPANESE, STENCIL (detail)
19th century. Mulberry paper
and persimmon tannin; hand
carved; 9 7/8 x 16 3/4 in. Gift of
Mrs. Gustav Radeke 07.062

Some years ago the composer
Morton Feldman was looking
at paintings in my studio. He
turned and said, “You re too
worried about ‘Great Art and
the Masters.’” I asked him
what he did about Beethoven.
He said, “Nothing. He’s like
a tree... just there like nature.
You don’t have to do any-
thing. ” This was an impor-
tant moment for me. A way
was suggested to hold the old
art both more reverently and
more open to use.

I have been using templates
in the studio for several years
and was immediately drawn
to the Japanese mulberry-
paper stencils in the Asian
textile collection. These are
in some sense an artist’s own
objects. They take me closest
to the artist’s hands and his
synthetic process as his piece
of work grows. Not meant to
be seen, they point our atten-
tion away from themselves.
One imagines what their use
might produce. They imply
an invisible other as a shad-
ow pairs with an occluding
body. The two I have chosen
to work with are brilliant
examples. I have purposely
delayed delving into their
context and history and look
forward to that study, but
first I want to enjoy a long,
unfettered look.

Greg Drasler

American, born 1952

8 BATS & BUNNIES, 1998

Oil on canvas, 58 x52 m.

Lent by the artist

9 JAPANESE, TEXTILE
FRAGMENT (detail)

19th century. Silk; satin;

8 1/2 x 5 in. Gift of Mrs. Gustav
Radeke 08.120

1 0 JAPANESE, TEXTILE
FRAGMENT (detail)

19th century. Silk; plain weave
with supplementary continuous
patterning wefts; 61/4x8 1/4 in.
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke
08.156.642

I admit that I arrived at the
Museum thinking about pat-
terns and iconography. This
preoccupation expands on
my paintings of interiors.

In an effort to inscribe my
depictions of rooms with
readable iconographic signs,

I began to invent my own
wallpaper patterns.

I think Mortie would
approve.

John Hatfield

American, born 1964

1 1 PEONY AND FROG
PAJAMAS, 1998

Ink on paper, Peony Pajamas:
56x45 in.; Frog Pajamas:

62 x 60 in. Courtesy of Judy
Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston

12 CHINESE,

WOMAN'S COAT

19th century. Silk; satin
embroidered with silk and
metallic thread; center back
length 42 5/8 in. Gift of Lucy
Truman Aldrich 35.404

Ruby-red pomegranates,
golden-winged butterflies,
pink plump gourds, crimson
and blue peonies, green-
stemmed lilies, and red
polka-dotted toads. Oh my!
What could these mean f In
the margins of a coat sleeve

I discovered a frenzy of
embroidered silk images.

The longer I looked, the
more ecstatic everything
seemed. In this small space,
nature was engaged in an
intricate and choreographed
orgy. For me, the sleeve was
a tapestry of mystery, filled
with what I learned were
Chinese symbols for sex and
love, virility and fertility,
long life and happiness in
marriage. These are the
potent and private things
in life that fascinate me as
an artist.

1 1

1 2

Between the years 19 So and
1981, I lived in Japan as a
graduate student studying
language and culture.
Through my host family I
was given introduction and
access to brocade merchants,
antique dealers, and Kabuki
theater. The weekly temple
sales were flea markets
where piles of used kimono
were to be purchased for
next to nothing. I sent home
many boxes of them. To my
eyes the peculiarity of image
combinations, exquisite
detail, and unfamiliar color
combinations represented a
microcosm of philosophy,
aesthetics, and everyday life.

When I saw the pattern of
bats depicted in the fragment
from the Museum’s collec-
tion, I was mesmerized. I
knew that the image of the
bat did not have the same
connotation in Japan as in

Western culture. If anything,
from my experience, it repre-
sented a time of day rather
that a dark messenger of
haunting. I found these mul-
tiple meanings in nature
attractive and contagious.
Patterns of swimming rab-
bits and what I understood
to be a lightning pattern
simultaneously represented
an aesthetic observation of
nature and cataclysm.
Covering an interior space
with an arrangement of
these patterns gives enough
room to try on the effect like
a garment with the pattern
on the inside.

1 0

9

I :f a£j£ H

Mary Jones

American, born 1953

1 3 DARSHANA, 1 998

Oil on canvas, 30 x 26 in.
Lent by the artist

1 4 INDIAN, PROBABLY
GUJARAT, SARI (detail)
late i9th-early 20th century.

Silk; plain weave, supplementary
discontinuous and continuous
patterning wefts; 169 x 40 3/4
in. Bequest of Lucy Truman
Aldrich 55.317

I began this project with two
preconceived ideas: I wanted
to make a stencil from the
textile to use in my painting,
and I wanted it to be from
India, the place I would
most like to go.

Viewing the Museum’s
collection, however, opened
a world of other possibili-
ties. The Japanese textiles
were dazzling. I particularly
remember a piece with large-
scale dragons and clouds so
bold, animated, and magnifi-
cent that I thought, e( what
could possibly be better ? ”
This posed another prob-
lem-I could only imagine
copying the pattern in awe.

That led me to my choice
from India, a sari rich in
color and pattern but simple
enough for interaction. The
weaving became a metaphor
for exchange. I ended up not
copying the pattern for a
stencil after all.

Pam Longobardi

American, born 1958

17 TWO LOVERS SEEKING
COVER (UNDER THE
BEARD OF INVISIBILITY),

1 998

Copper over wood with patinas,
oil, enamel, and gold, 30 x 30
in. Lent by the artist

1 8 J APAN ESE, OBI
FRAGMENT (detail)
first half 20th century. Silk;
jacquard, 39 x 14 in.

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Winthrop
W. Aldrich 58.184.5

I use picture fragments in
my work to juxtapose the
materials with which I work.
The copper and patinas act
as a stand-in for raw
nature... chemically interac-
tive recordings of tempera-
ture, humidity, and time.

The picture fragments act as

Betsy Kaufman

American, born 1957
(risd bfa 1980, Printmaking)

1 5 TWO UNTITLED
WORKS, 1998

Watercolor and pencil on paper,
27 x 20 in. Lent by the artist

16 ISSEY MIYAKE AND
YASUMASA MORIMURA,
PLEATS PLEASE GUEST
ARTIST SERIES, NO. 1 ,
1997

Japanese, born 1935, and
Japanese, 20th century.

Polyester; digital printed and
pleated; center back length
53 3/4 in. Gift of Issey
Miyake 1997.25

I chose the Issey Miyake
dress not so much for its
inspiration , hut as a creation
with which I felt an aesthetic
kinship. My work addresses
the issues of form and color
as narrative, and the Miyake
dress is a wonderful dialogue
of similar elements within a
completely different context.
By juxtaposing these two
diverse applications, I am
setting up a visual dialogue
that extends the narrative of
the Miyake dress.

cultural markers, points
of fixture amidst the
incomprehensible flow
of wild nature.

I chose this fragment
because the elements -
theater props - reminded me
of linear constructions that I
draw as representations of
the ego. I extracted two
parts and upon inverting
them, they seemed to repre-
sent the male and female. I
placed these two forms in
anticipation of sex, and one
mask’s beard became a small
flame. The lovers are shield-
ed by a fountain from the
onlooking masks.

Andrew Raftery

American, born 1962
(Assistant Professsor,
Printmaking, risd)

1 9 PAMELA PARMAL
EXAMINING A KASHMIR
SHAWL IN THE TEXTILE
STUDY ROOM OF THE
RISD MUSEUM, 1998

Etching and engraving, 12 1/2 x
91/2 in. Lent by the artist

20 INDIAN, KASHMIR,
SHAWL (detail)
early 19th century. Wool;
twill tapestry; 125 x 50 1/4 in.
Bequest of Lucy Truman
Aldrich 55.330

“Fanny, William must not
forget my shawl, if he goes
to the East Indies ; and I
shall give him a commission
for anything else that is
worth having . I wish he
may go to the East Indies,
that I may have my shawl.

I think I will have two
shawls, Fanny.”

Lady Bertram, in Jane
Austen, Mansfield Park ,
1814.

I confess that my initial
interest in Kashmir shawls
came from a desire to be
transported to the drawing
room of Lady Bertram, the
salons of the sitters of David
and Ingres, and even the ele-
gant front parlors of Benefit
Street in the Federal Period.
It fascinated me that these
unique textiles-products of
the convergence of superfine
materials, meticulous tapes-
try technique, and a range of
elegant decorative motifs-
could become such a promi-
nent part of a visual world
so far from where they were
created.

The RISD M

useum

As I studied this particular
shawl, I realized that its
beauty is embodied in aes-
thetic contradiction: it is
infinitely elaborate, but it
ultimately leaves an impres-
sion of chaste austerity. The
lushly blooming floral

20

imagery is consumed by the
rigorous geometry imposed
by the weaver.

The interlocking mark
language of etching and
engraving is the ideal
analogy for the twill tapes-
try technique of the shawl.
The print shows the shawl
as it is conserved, studied,
and appreciated in our
historical period.

Like Lady Bertram, Lucy
Truman Aldrich desired an
Indian shawl. She went to
India to purchase this one,
not to adorn her shoulders
but to form part of a collec-
tion that provides inspira-
tion to artists in all media.